The invention relates generally to a protector for an upper torso, and more particularly a protector for the chest area when a user is shooting a firearm such as a rifle or a shotgun.
Current solutions that protect the chest and shoulder area of a firearms user from the recoil of a gun employ various configurations of pads and solid components. Generally, these solutions seek to protect an area from single and multiple recoils by muting the impulse that results from the recoil. This result is typically accomplished by a configuration that distributes the impulse to a larger surface area, thereby reducing the effect of a more finite impulse area. This goal is further accomplished by adding energy absorbing padding that also contributes to muting the impulse of recoil from a firearm. These solutions help to eliminate discomfort. However, these solutions do not eliminate the effects of a recoil impulse to a specific area, they only reduce the effects.
It is often desirable to more thoroughly protect a specific area from the effects of a recoil. For example, a pacemaker implanted in the chest of a firearm user is susceptible to damage from the impulse created by the recoil of the firearm. Similarly, an injury such as a fractured rib could be very painful using only impulse distributing means such as that described above. It is to these ends that the present invention is directed.